Day One at the Tropical 7s was a big one for Atlantis.
Having run into some tough times in the last few years as more programs have improved to challenge them, Atlantis was on top form Friday in Tampa, Fla.
The big difference? It was probably the power and physical game. With teams with bigger players who could win the battle at the breakdown, Atlantis was then able to leverage their skills and team play to the fullest.
You can't do that without the ball.
U18 Boys Elite
The Atlantis Teal team beat a very capable Rebel Rugby Academy 21-5, handled a big, physical Layton Christian Academy side 21-12, and then ran away from UK-based Future Elite Sports 31-12.
It was a good combination of opponents, with Layton being the most destructive side, and Future Elite perhaps the most cohesive. Rebel was a good combination of both and in fact ended up beating Future Elite by a large margin and Layton Christian by a very small one.
In one of the toughest pools, the Atlantis Black side, unsurprisingly, went 0-3.
U16 Girls
While the U18 Girls Elite played in a tough pool and went 1-2, the U16 girls beat Tsunami, Pioneer, and MacDowell and in doing so gave up exactly one try. Their defense and their ability to control possession were very solid.
U16 Boys
The U16 team boasted some bigger bodies than they usually field and it allowed them to do more on the field. They shut out Tsunami Canada Misfits 34-0, which is impressive in itself, beat Rock Rugby 24-5, and then held off a very tough Hawkeyes side 24-22.
U14 Boys
Despite an injury or two Atlantis battled past USA West Red 17-14 and won big, 41-0, over USA Rugby South. They capped off their day with a 34-7 win over Haweyes.
